The statistics for the Dodgers’ Max Muncy this season are eye-popping: A 1.060 OPS, thanks to a .419 on-base percentage and .640 slugging percentage; 20 home runs, 38 RBIs, eight doubles and 39 runs scored in his 64 games. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

There’s no certainty, of course, that the Dodgers’ latest out-of-nowhere sensation will be in Washington D.C. a week from Tuesday for the Midsummer Classic. The rosters will be announced Sunday at 4 p.m. in a made-for-ESPN special. Muncy, called up by the Dodgers on April 17, was not listed in the top five at any position in the fan balloting, partly because he wasn’t on the ballot and partly because fans who might be inclined to vote for him probably would have trouble figuring out his position.

He started at first base Friday night against the Angels. He has played second, third and the outfield, and he had five different fielder’s gloves in his locker in the Big A visitor’s clubhouse.

That’s his Sunday bag, so to speak. “In my locker at home I’ve got 12 or 13, probably,” he said. “Got ’em for four positions, and then the backups. And there’s certain gloves you like more than others.”

But why are we talking about his gloves? If he is to be a first-time All-Star – which would have to be either as a reserve, by a vote of the players, or in next week’s fan vote for the final spot on the roster – it will be because of his bat, and the damage he has done with it.

He entered Friday 38 plate appearances short of the 3.1-per-game required to qualify for the official stats. But the numbers are eye-popping: A 1.060 OPS, thanks to a .419 on-base percentage and .640 slugging percentage; 20 home runs, 38 RBIs, eight doubles and 39 runs scored in his 64 games. His home run rate of one per 9.45 at-bats is the best in baseball for players with a minimum 200 at-bats, according to Stats LLC, while his walk rate (one per 5.24 plate appearances) is second only to Mike Trout.

Remember, this is a player who was invited to spring training this year as a non-roster player. He was without a job in baseball last April, released by Oakland just before opening day. The Dodgers signed him to a Triple-A contract April 25, with General Manager Farhan Zaidi – an A’s employee when Muncy was drafted – having seen enough to figure he warranted a look.

Muncy, 27, showed signs of this breakout last year at Oklahoma City, with 12 homers, 44 RBIs, a .306 average and .905 OPS in 109 games in the Pacific Coast League. He’d retooled his swing under the guidance of his father, Lee, a geologist who now might be tempted to offer his services as a hitting instructor, too.

“Short step, quick hands: That’s the thing he always preached,” Muncy said Friday. “Stay through the middle of the field, that was the other biggest thing he preached, and those have always stuck with me to this day.”

The tweaks, he said, were “15 or 20 mechanical changes that ended up being one big change,” enabling him to get in better position to get to the pitch he wanted to attack. It took him about halfway through last season in the PCL to get comfortable to the point where that new approach became second nature.

The other adjustment was mental.

“I kind of lost confidence in myself as a player in 2015-16,” he said. “I didn’t think I was as good as I should have been. You start (experiencing) failure and you don’t know if you’re as good as you thought you were. … Last year was kind of a chance for me to just regroup and recover, to focus on myself and not worry about getting called up or anything. I just focused on baseball, remembering how much I love the game and how much I like playing it.”

Having it possibly taken away can be a reality check. When the A’s released him, and before the Dodgers called, he was ready to go back to Baylor and work toward a business degree.

Even when he was called up this April, swapping places with infielder Breyvic Valera, it seemed a minor transaction, given his .195 career average in 96 big league games.

“The 50 at-bat mark,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Just the way he handled some early struggles and didn’t panic and kept getting opportunities. Some were starts, some off the bench, but the at-bat quality remained consistent.

“ … I think that early on he was swinging at balls down below the zone. Then there was some hard contact for outs. Then (a few) weeks in, some hits started falling for him and he started to gain some confidence. For me, it turned when I saw him against left-handed pitching. A couple of times when I didn’t hit for him, he stuck his nose in there and had some really good at-bats and (earned) some more opportunities. At that point in time, I felt he was going to be a guy that could really help us.”

And when did Roberts get the idea he could be All-Star quality?

“The last couple of weeks he has really shown that he’s worthy of an All-Star selection,” the manager said.

Since Roberts is the National League manager and will have some say in replacements for players who withdraw with injuries, Muncy probably shouldn’t be making any unbreakable plans for July 17.

Jim Alexander is an Inland Empire native who started with his hometown newspaper, The Press-Enterprise, longer ago than he cares to admit. He's been a sports columnist off and on since 1992, and a full-time columnist since 2010. Yes, he's opinionated, but no, that's not the only club in his bag. He's covered every major league and major sports beat in Southern California over the years, so not much surprises him any more. (And he and Justin Turner have this in common: Both attended Cal State Fullerton. Jim has no plans to replicate Turner's beard.)